Another two books I found super helpful for different reasons are The Menopause Manifesto by Dr. Jen Gunter (she's also very active on Substack at The Vajenda and social media. She debunks a lot of junk menopause "science" with citations) and Flash Count Diary by Darcey Steinke. FCD is I guess what you'd call a reported memoir. It also brings in the author's personal obsession with orcas, the only other mammal that expereinces menopause.
Kelly- This is such a great article. I think I might check out Hot and Bothered after your recommendation. What are some of the insights that you liked most from that book? Hope you're well. Cheers, -Thalia
Thanks, Thalia! Hot and Bothered is a great place to start. I reference it first when I have a question or someone brings one to me.
1. It might be worth it to pay out-of-pocket for a gynecologist with a focus on perimenopause/menopause if you have a collection of symptoms that could be related to perimenopause. This could save you chasing down different specialists for symptoms and paying each of their co-pays, dealing with bothersome symptoms longer, etc.
2. While it can be frustrating to pursue care through the 'established' medical system, there are good reasons to pursue evidence-based treatments from a physician. (Put another way, you want to be treated, but not over-treated.)
3. You may see chatter about compounded hormone therapy and "bioidentical" as a buzz word. The experts Dunn interviews say for most people, FDA-regulated drugs are safer and bioidentical is essentially a marketing term.
You might be interested a documentary that should begin airing on PBS 10/18: The (M)Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause. A couple friends and I are having a screening of it here in Houston & I'm very excited! Many of the experts Dunn interviews in H&B are in it. https://www.pbs.org/show/the-m-factor-shredding-the-silence-on-menopause/
This is so cool! Thanks for these recommendations. I'm also intrigued by your bio note about being skeptical of group chats. Dissatisfaction with group chats (with good friends) was one factor that brought me to substack.
Yes! My brain has a hard time tuning out the perceived immediacy of never ending group convos with people I’m totally happy to see in-person or interact one-on-one with.
Since I exited two longtime chats last year the old fashioned way, the What’sApp “lock” feature has come in very handy for tucking school related chats down in my mental basement until I need them.
"Perceived immediacy" is a perfect way to describe! I will check out the lock feature. I usually archive/hide chats I don't want to see and I don't have notifications going. But I also find that while the group chats rage on, the response is so inconsistent. When I do bring up a topic I often find it gets no response at all- someone posts a reel or photo and it gets swept away. Vastly unsatisfying compared to in-person for sure.
Thanks for reading, Richard! Absolutely, nutrition is key for this and many life stages. I wouldn't characterize it as either/or. I want to encourage women to have the information they need to be an active partner in shared decision-making with their health care providers. The North American Menopause Society has helpful position statements on both non-hormonal (2023) and hormonal (2022) therapies.
Thanks Kelly I don't want to be your resident crank : + But recognizing the power of industry should be the first concern. Really? It just so happens the best thing for me is what you're selling? C'mon
I don't dispute that the pharmaceutical industry (not to mention unregulated supplements) can be a bad actor. Nor do I think "one size fits all" is reasonable approach for health decision-making. I want to highlight information I've found useful and wish I'd had sooner. I don't want women to suffer in silence, regardless what mitigation approaches are right for them.
Also Kelly I must apologize. This is a splendid post and wise site. Of course one size doesn't fit all. Vegans tend to think we know it all. Not a good look : )
Another two books I found super helpful for different reasons are The Menopause Manifesto by Dr. Jen Gunter (she's also very active on Substack at The Vajenda and social media. She debunks a lot of junk menopause "science" with citations) and Flash Count Diary by Darcey Steinke. FCD is I guess what you'd call a reported memoir. It also brings in the author's personal obsession with orcas, the only other mammal that expereinces menopause.
Thanks, Louise! More to add to my list.
Kelly- This is such a great article. I think I might check out Hot and Bothered after your recommendation. What are some of the insights that you liked most from that book? Hope you're well. Cheers, -Thalia
Thanks, Thalia! Hot and Bothered is a great place to start. I reference it first when I have a question or someone brings one to me.
1. It might be worth it to pay out-of-pocket for a gynecologist with a focus on perimenopause/menopause if you have a collection of symptoms that could be related to perimenopause. This could save you chasing down different specialists for symptoms and paying each of their co-pays, dealing with bothersome symptoms longer, etc.
2. While it can be frustrating to pursue care through the 'established' medical system, there are good reasons to pursue evidence-based treatments from a physician. (Put another way, you want to be treated, but not over-treated.)
3. You may see chatter about compounded hormone therapy and "bioidentical" as a buzz word. The experts Dunn interviews say for most people, FDA-regulated drugs are safer and bioidentical is essentially a marketing term.
You might be interested a documentary that should begin airing on PBS 10/18: The (M)Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause. A couple friends and I are having a screening of it here in Houston & I'm very excited! Many of the experts Dunn interviews in H&B are in it. https://www.pbs.org/show/the-m-factor-shredding-the-silence-on-menopause/
Kelly- I am resonating with your emphasis on being treated but not over treated. Something that I can see being a problem very quickly. 🙏
This is so cool! Thanks for these recommendations. I'm also intrigued by your bio note about being skeptical of group chats. Dissatisfaction with group chats (with good friends) was one factor that brought me to substack.
Yes! My brain has a hard time tuning out the perceived immediacy of never ending group convos with people I’m totally happy to see in-person or interact one-on-one with.
Since I exited two longtime chats last year the old fashioned way, the What’sApp “lock” feature has come in very handy for tucking school related chats down in my mental basement until I need them.
"Perceived immediacy" is a perfect way to describe! I will check out the lock feature. I usually archive/hide chats I don't want to see and I don't have notifications going. But I also find that while the group chats rage on, the response is so inconsistent. When I do bring up a topic I often find it gets no response at all- someone posts a reel or photo and it gets swept away. Vastly unsatisfying compared to in-person for sure.
Take drugs or go vegan and reduce stress. Guess which option has a billion dollar industry behind it?
Thanks for reading, Richard! Absolutely, nutrition is key for this and many life stages. I wouldn't characterize it as either/or. I want to encourage women to have the information they need to be an active partner in shared decision-making with their health care providers. The North American Menopause Society has helpful position statements on both non-hormonal (2023) and hormonal (2022) therapies.
Those can be accessed here:
https://www.menopause.org/publications/professional-publications/position-statements-other-reports
Thanks Kelly I don't want to be your resident crank : + But recognizing the power of industry should be the first concern. Really? It just so happens the best thing for me is what you're selling? C'mon
I don't dispute that the pharmaceutical industry (not to mention unregulated supplements) can be a bad actor. Nor do I think "one size fits all" is reasonable approach for health decision-making. I want to highlight information I've found useful and wish I'd had sooner. I don't want women to suffer in silence, regardless what mitigation approaches are right for them.
Also Kelly I must apologize. This is a splendid post and wise site. Of course one size doesn't fit all. Vegans tend to think we know it all. Not a good look : )
Amen